Waypoints is receiving over $6,000 from a local man after walking across the Sahara Desert.

Julio Florez was one 120 Canadians who traveled to Morocco as part of the Royal Lepage Shelter Foundation.

Employees with the company were given the chance to raise funds for their local shelters by trekking the world’s biggest desert. Overall, the group was able to raise around $1.1 million.

Florez tells Mix News, on their downtime, they would hear stories of real people who’ve needed to use these spaces.

“It was a good reminder of why we were there, that it was worth continuing to do these kinds of things to provide the support and money for these shelters across the country.”

Overall, the group traveled 100 km across the desert. At times, they would walk for around 12 hours.

This is the third time Florez has traveled with the Foundation. He previously visited Machu Picchu and Iceland.

He says these experiences are as helpful to him as they are to these shelters.

“It’s a beautiful opportunity to reflect and to enjoy nature, to just be motivated and think about why we do things.”

Julio Florez presenting a cheque to members of Waypoints // Photo via Waypoints

Meanwhile, Waypoints is planning to use the funds for its shelter operations.

“Julio’s been a huge supporter of Waypoints for many many years – he’s one of our strongest supporters,” said Michele Taylor, Waypoints Executive Director. “It makes a huge difference to the programs and services that we are able to offer.”

She adds the money also helps them get closer to the fundraising total they need to raise throughout the year to continue receiving government grants.